Icy street becomes rink of danger for Azerbaijani drivers

Drifting cars, a favoured pastime among Middle Eastern rev-heads, may be a breathtakingly reckless activity, but at least the participants choose to be involved in the deadly sport of their own free will.

Not so for the residents of a town in Azerbaijan, where it gets a little chilly at this time of year.

As a result, anyone hitting the main drag was forced to contend with ice-slicked bitumen, which turned the gentle incline of the street into a danger zone.

Apparently not possessed of an alternate route or a set of snow chains, all and sundry were forced to try their luck as vehicles of all shapes and sizes – including a bus – became about as manoeuvrable as giant curling stones.

Humans may be hell-bent on going about their business rain, hail or shine, but Mother Nature always has something in her bag of tricks to take away the illusion of control – not in the least extreme cold.

Click through for more times when attempts to stay cool turned positively frosty.